Candidates for the Durham City Council discussed topics that ranged from funding for downtown development to the proper relationship between Duke University and the city at a forum Thursday night.
Moderator Mike Shiflett of the Inter-Neighborhood Council, which sponsored the event, opened the forum with a question about Durham's competitiveness with other cities.
Ward 2 candidate Michael Peterson, Trinity '65, said Durham has the highest taxes, the worst crime rate and the most mismanagement and waste of any city in the state. "I don't think we are competing right now," he said.
But several incumbents challenged that claim. "Our statistics show that we have consistently gone down [in the crime rate] over the last few years," said Thomas Stith, who is running for re-election to an at-large seat. "Other cities have corruption; other cities have problems."
Cora Cole-McFadden, a Ward 1 candidate, said the city possesses a major asset in its diversity.
Furthermore, several candidates pointed to the city's growth, lauding such projects as the Streets at Southpoint mall and the planned redevelopment of both the American Tobacco and Liggett & Myers facilities downtown.
The question of downtown development resurfaced when the candidates debated the use of public funding--whether via an increase in the hotel-motel occupancy tax or some other source--to pay for a proposed 5,000-seat theater downtown.
John Best, a Ward 3 candidate, said the city should not spend tax dollars to pay for a facility to be run by a private company, at least not with the current downturn in the economy.
"If the theater's such a good idea... it should be run as a private business," he said. "That way, if it goes bad, the taxpayers don't lose as on past projects."
But others countered that some public investment would be necessary as an incentive to spur private investment. Lewis Cheek, an incumbent running for an at-large seat, argued that the city would profit in the long run from downtown revitalization through increases in tax revenue.
"We're trying to draw people into downtown Durham," he said. "If they think we're not willing to do it, then they're sure not going to do it."
Jeffery White, a Ward 1 candidate, called for more restaurants, grocery stores and smaller businesses downtown. "We have to build downtown from the inside out," he said.
The candidates also debated the appropriate dynamic between the city and its institutes of higher education. Some candidates praised Duke for its involvement in the city.
Dan Hill, who is running for re-election to an at-large seat, pointed out that the University has pledged to rent space in the American Tobacco facility to spur downtown development, and mounted an initiative to revitalize the neighborhood of Walltown north of East Campus.
But Peterson pointed to past disagreements over water bills and payment for fire protection. "We have to drive every nickel out of Duke," said Peterson, a former editor of The Chronicle.
"Every dollar that they spend is tax-exempt," he said. "As affluent as Duke is, there's more that they can do."
But Mayor Pro Tem Howard Clement, his opponent for the Ward 2 seat, said the city should take a more positive view of the University.
"Duke has come a long way," he said. "Forty years ago they were like a virtual island among themselves, and they have turned that around."
Other candidates praised North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College for their community involvement and the way they prepare students.
"I can just say nothing but good things about NCCU," said Angela Langley, who is running for re-election to an at-large seat. "They provide mentorship programs throughout the inner city."
The candidates also fielded questions on the city's preparedness for terrorist attacks, whether the council should receive a pay raise and how best to manage public transit as the area's population grows.
Other candidates present included Erick Larson, an incumbent running for the Ward 3 seat and Joe Williams, an at-large candidate. Incumbent Tamra Edwards did not appear. The forum was videotaped and will be broadcast on local television several times before the Nov. 6 election.
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